Device for preventing spread of explosions in coal-mines.



J. COSAVELLO. DEVIGE FOR PREVENTING SPREAD OF EXPLOSIONS IN COAL MINES.

. APPLIOATION PILED JUNB 20, 1911. 1,029,596. Patented June 13,1912.

i Anonym J. COSAVELLO. G SPREAD OP EXPLOSIONS IN GDAL MINES.

DBvIdE FOB. PREVENTIN APPLIUATION FILED JUNE 20, 1911.

Patented June 18, 1912.

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UNITED STATE PATENT FFTQE JOSEPH COSAVELLO, OF MOYIE, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA.

DEVICE FOB PREVENTNG SPREAD OF EXPLOSIONS IN COAL-MINES.

Application filed June 20, 1911.

To all whom tt may concem:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH COSAVELLO, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and a resident of Moyie, in the District of British Columbia and Dominion of Canada,have invented a new and Improved Device for Preventing the Spread of Explosions in Coal-Mines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates generally to safety appliances used in mining Operations and more particularly it involves a device 'for use in coal mining whereby the spread of explosions from one chamber to another is prevented.

The object of my invention is to provide the chamber of a coal mine, in which coal is being dug, with a suitable device coperating with the doors leading into the said chamber so that, should an explosion occur in this chamber, the doors will be closed immediately.

A further object of my invention is to provide a certain arrangement of doors leading into a chamber in a coal mine in which coal is being dug whereby these doors will be closed immediately should an explosion occur therein, each of the doors being lockedon the inside and access to the said chamber being had only through the safety door which is locked on the outside.

A further object of my invention is to provide a new and useful device which is actuated by the gases which may be present in a chamber in a coal mine, in which coal is being dug, whereby the device which is in operative relation with the doors of the chamber will release the means holding these doors open whereby they may be closed in order to prevent the spread of an explosion to other chambers.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which like characters of reference denote corresponding parts in all the views, and in which Figure 1 is a plan view of a chamber in which coal is being mined, taken on the line l- -l of Fig. 2; Fig. 2 is a vertical sect-ional view therethrough on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view on the line 4-4: of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of the device which releases the mechanism holding the doors open, taken -on the line 5-5 of Fig.

Specfication of Letters Patent.

Patented June 18, 1912.

Serial No. 634 232.

6; Fg. 6 is a sectional' view thereof on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

One of the chambers to which I have shown my device in coperative relation is shown in Fig. 1, this chamber A being provided with a west door B through which a track C leads in order to lead away the mined coal, there being a safety door D adjacent this door B communicating with the passage from the door B by a small passageway E. On the north and south sides of the chamber other doors F, G, are positioned which communicate with other passages leading through the mine.

H represents one face of the chamber from which coal is being dug, suitable posts K being variously placed in order to support the roof of the chamber.

The arrows in Fig. l show the direction of the air Currents through the chamber, the air being shown as entering through the door G and passing to the face H of the chamber and being defiected and passing outwardly through the north door F. In order to prevent the air from passing out of the door B a curtain L is placed across the chamber from 'opposite sides thereof. The doors B, F, and G are normally kept open and the safety door D is normally closed. This door D,-which is termed a safety door, is locked on the outside by any suitable lock M, the door being provided with a small aperture N so that the interior of the chamber can be seen from the passageway E when the door is closed. All of the doors are supported in suitable frames O, and the doors are movably supported on hinges Q each of the doors B, F, and G, being provided with suitable locks R whereby when these doors are closed they will be locked on the inside and can only be opened by entering the chamber through the door D.

Each of the doors B, F, G, open upwarclly and they are maintained in open position by means of suitable wires S attachecl to each of the doors and extending from the different points of the chamber to an automatic device T suitably supported on one of the posts K contained within the chamber. This automatic device, or actuating means, is shown in detail in Figs. 5 and 6, and is constructed as follows: A suitable cylindrical member l has a flattened portion 2 eX- tending from one end thereof, this portion being supplied with suitable holes 2 whereby the device may be held in position on the post; this cylindrical member may be made of wood or metal, as desired. lVithin the opening in the cylinder a suitable piece f pipe l is inserted, this pipe being of substantially the same length as the opening in the cylinder. lVithin the piece of pipe a piece o' solid steel 5 is inserted, the outer end 6 thereof being provided with screw threads, on which end a piece of pipe 7 is positioned, the interier adjacent one end thereot being provided with threads to engage the said threaded end of the piece of steel 5; this piece of pipe 7 is made ot brittle light cast iron. 'Within the pipe 7 a quantity of a suitable explosive 8 is placed, this explosive being fired by means of a suitable squib which is capable of being exploded by the flame in the chamber immediately after an explosion takes place; the wires S which hold each of the doors B, F, G, in open position are wrapped around this piece of pipe 7, the explosive matter S, however, when fired, shattering the pipe 7 and releasing the wires S which permits each of these doors to drop, thereby closing these passages from the chamber. If desired, the device may be provided with a suitable amount of fire eX- tinguishing compound which will be spread within the chamber when the pipe 7 is shat tered, thereby tending to extinguish any small flames that may be present in such a small space.

If desired, each of the doors and casings may be provided with a circuit closure V communicating with an annunciator as shown particularly in Fig. 4. This annunciato' being positioned at some central point so that, when one of the doors is closed by reason of an explosion, this fact will be made known to those atthis central station.

After the explosion within the chamber has taken place the doors B, F, and Gr, will be closed. Any persons within the chamber, however, may leave it by opening any one of these doors since the locks thereon are on the inside; access to the chamber, however, may be had only through the safety door D which is locked on the outside. Before entering the chamberA. after an explosion has taken place, the state of aftairs may be ascertained by looking through the small opening N in the door D, the key to this door being carried usually by the one in charge of Operations.

After an explosion has occurred in one of the chambers, the doors may be opened and a new actuating device placed in position on the timber K and the wires connected thereto, when operation within' the chamber may be resumed. From the above description it will be seen that I have provided an exceedingly simple' and effective device for actuating the doors of a cham'ber in a coal mine whereby they may be closed immediately after an 'explosion occurs, t-hereby preventing' the spread of this explosion to adjacent cham bers. While a certain arrangement of doors has been shown and a certain position for the actuating device, itis obvious thatth'e location of these doors and the actuating device and the wires connecting these elements will be'varously positioned in order to meet the different conditions present 'in diflerent' mines. r

Having thus described my invention,` II claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent:- i i 1. An actuating device tor use in prevent ing explosions in coal mines, comprisinga eylindrical member having provision there-" on for attachment to' a suitable support, a; pipe within the cylinder, another pipc containing an explosive compound, means being positioned within'the pipe within the 'cylinder so that the said explosive may be' `held in suitable position, the said device being adapted to be connectedto' Operating wires for holding the doors open and the said explosive being adapted for operation by an explosion outside thereof, whereby the mem- V ber to which the wires are connected will be shattered;

2. An actuating device for use in preventing explosions in coal mines comprising a cylindrical member having means thereon whereby it may be suitably 'supported in position, a pipewithin the said member, an element within the said pipe having* a a threaded end extending therebeyond, an,- other pipe containing an eXplosive mixture in engagement with the said threaded end of the said element, the said explosive mix ture, when actuated, shattering the said pipe containing it.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence oi"` two subscribing witnesses.

J OSEPH COSAVELLO. `Witnessesz J. E. QUINLAN, JOHN BARBER;

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by adressing the Commissioner of Patents, r

Washington, D. C. r 

